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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Dhevagaandhaari

Devagandhari (pronounced devagāndhāri, Sanskrit: देवगांधारिTamil: தேவகாந்தாரி) is a raga (musical scale) in Indian classical music. It is used in the Sikh tradition of northern India and is part of the Guru Granth Sahib. In the South Indian classical music, Devagandhari is ajanya raga (derived scale), whose melakarta raga (parent scale, also known as janaka) is Shankarabharanam, 29th in the 72 Melakarta raga system.

Structure and Lakshana

Ascending scale with Shadjam at C

Descending scale with Shadjam at C

Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

Devagandhari ragam is an owdava-vakra-sampurna raga meaning, in arohana 5swaras come (so it is called owdava) and in avarohana all swaras come (sosampurna), and there is a "zigzag" pattern of notes (so vakra). The notes used in this ragam are shadjam, chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatam and kakili nishadham. This ragam sometimes includes the kaishika nishadham (anya swara - a note external to the scale, making this a bhashanga ragam).

The closest raga to this one is Arabhi. Some of the things that makes Arabhi different (though both share the same ascending and descending scale, in terms of basic notation) are:

Devagandhari is sung with gamakas and vilambita kala prayogas (usages with elongated notes)[1]